Compromise and Acceptance
by nimblnymph
Summary: A relationship isn't easy, especially for ninja. But through the practice of compromise and acceptance ... it's doable. Written for the Forbidden Love Italian KakaSaku Fan Club's Valentine's Day Challenge.


**Written for the Valentine's Day challenge at the Forbidden Love Italian KakaSaku Fan Club. Thank you, sayuri no moe, for organizing the event!**

* * *

Kakashi glanced at the clock on his desk and frowned. "Kotetsu, what's today's date?"

Kotetsu looked up from the paperwork he was filing with a raised brow. "It's February fourteenth, Hokage-sama," he replied.

Hmm… So, he _wasn't_ operating under the wrong day. He glanced at the clock again and his frown deepened further. It was almost eight in the evening. "Has anything arrived for me today?" he asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

His assistant snapped his fingers in sudden memory and said, "As a matter of fact, yes."

"Ah." Kakashi smiled beneath his mask as relief mingled with joy in his chest. He should have known she wouldn't forget.

Kotetsu went over to his own desk and rifled through a stack of letters before pulling out a cream colored envelope. "Sorry, Hokage-sama, I completely forgot about this," he explained sheepishly as he handed it over.

Waving away the apology, he took the envelope oh-so-casually opened it. It was difficult maintaining a dignified front when he was all but bursting with curiosity. Was it a love note? A dirty limerick? Or maybe a couple of risqué photographs like the ones she'd given to him for his birthday? He had those taped securely to the bottom of his desk – for those long, hard days at the office. It made the day go by faster when he could reach underneath and pull out a picture of her doing slutty things with a kunai handle.

He was highly disappointed when he pulled out a stiff piece of formal stationary and read the words written in neat gold characters: _To the Honorable Hokage of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi. We cordially extend an invitation to you and a small contingency of guests to attend the twenty-third birthday of the Kazekage of Suna. Please respond by February 25__th__ with the number of attendees._

Kakashi's brow pinched as he tossed the invitation onto a stack of mission reports. "Kotetsu, did anything _else_ happen to arrive for me?"

Kotetsu frowned and shot a questioning look at Izumo, who shook his head. "No … not that I'm aware of, Hokage-sama," he answered slowly.

"I see," he sighed, leaning back in his chair as his fingers tapped with mild consternation against his desk. Disappointment stabbed through him, as well as a trace of alarm. She _never_ forgot things, especially important dates like this. Yes, they'd had a slight tiff before she'd left for her mission … but he hadn't thought she was so upset that she wouldn't at least send him some a note.

Apparently, she was.

Letting out another sigh, he nodded and murmured, "I think we've all had enough work for one day. How about we pack it up and go home?"

The alacrity with which Izumo leapt up from his seat made Kakashi's brow arch in surprise. Blushing, the younger man cleared his throat and stammered, "I, uh … well, I have … someone…" His words trailed off as Kotetsu snickered at his obvious discomfiture.

Kakashi smiled and nodded faintly. "Understandable. Have a good evening."

Izumo grinned back and bowed gratefully. "Thanks, Hokage-sama."

The two assistants were quick to leave the office. Kakashi remained behind for a few minutes, taking his time for once to organize the stacks of paper on his desk. Truthfully, he really didn't feel like going back to their apartment. Yes, he was used to sleeping alone when she was away, but it was different being alone and knowing she was angry with him. It was damn near depressing, really.

But, it was late and he'd been stuck in the office since early that morning. As much as he didn't want to spend another evening alone without so much as a mission update from her, it would be worse to spend the night at his desk. Kakashi let out a low breath, stood up, and left the office with slow, heavy steps.

He nodded a goodnight to the after hours staff that lingered in the administration building before stepping out into the crisp evening air. Konoha's winters tended to be short and mostly punctuated by rain, but there had been a snow flurry not too long ago that had left the village a bit frostier than usual. Kakashi tucked his hands deep into his pockets, shrugged his vest a little higher around his ears, and walked quickly down the street toward his apartment. It was only a four block walk, but as always he could just see the outline of the ANBU guard assigned to him this evening.

After having him vanish underneath their very noses multiple times in the past, they had finally understood the meaning of the phrase "present but unseen."

It wasn't traditional for the Hokage to live in an apartment as opposed to the opulent residence set up behind the Tower, but then again Kakashi was hardly a traditional sort of guy. He'd tried staying in the house provided by his new status; he'd lasted a week before the oddness of the situation finally became too much. It just felt strange sleeping in a bed that had previous been occupied by Tsunade.

There was also a horrible sense of wrongness to have sex on that bed with the former Hokage's incredibly attractive apprentice. He didn't think Tsunade would be very pleased to know just how many positions Sakura's supple body could contort into.

Kakashi closed his eye and groaned at the reminder of what _wouldn't_ be waiting for him at home. He hated arguing with her, especially right before a high ranked mission. One of the hardest things he'd had to accept in his dual roll of Hokage and lover was that it was necessary to send the woman he cared about into potentially dangerous conditions. For the first few months of their relationship, he'd tried limiting her to B-ranked missions. They'd had their very first fight when she'd found out, one that had very nearly broken them up. He'd been so preoccupied with his need to protect her that he'd underestimated just how capable she was.

But, like so many things in their lives, they'd gotten through it and moved on. They were both far too strong and stubborn to give up so easily, not when they wanted the same thing; to be with each other. They'd survived a war, the deaths of friends, the stresses that came with being ninja, and all the little things that happened during the course of a relationship. It had taken compromise and the ability to accept the idiosyncrasies of the other … but it was completely worth it.

The thing that worried him a bit about this fight was that, no matter what happened between them, Sakura _always_ observed the important days; his birthday, White Day … Valentine's Day. It made his heart heavy to think that maybe this time things had gone too far.

His throat was tight as he opened the door to their apartment and stepped inside, one hand setting the deadbolt while the other tugged his mask down. He leaned back against the door and closed his eye, letting his head fall back against the wood. Maybe he was just over thinking this. There was a good chance, seeing as she _was_ on a mission, that she simply didn't have time to acknowledge the importance of today.

"Do you plan on standing there for the rest of the night?"

Kakashi's eyes opened, the sharingan dilating against the darkness of the room. He could just barely make out the slim shape of a woman stretched across the couch – a woman whose curves he'd more than memorized. His hand reached out and flicked on the overhead light of the main room.

Sakura blinked at the sudden flood of light, but there was no change to the gentle smile curving her lips as her body shifted sensuously across the couch. The movement drew his gaze downward from her face, as she'd no doubt intended. Not even the shock of seeing her was enough to keep him from eying her body eagerly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice a little rough sounding.

"We finished the mission early," she explained. Her green eyes sparkled with delight as she watched him approach the couch slowly.

"I thought you were mad at me."

Her smile faded around the edges as she shook her head. "No, why would I be mad at you?" She must have seen something in his face because her lips parted with realization before she nodded slowly. "Oh. That. Kakashi … I was never mad at you. It's just … don't you think it's rather lousy timing to try and discuss having kids before I'm set to leave on an A-rank mission?"

Well, she did have a point there, he supposed. Shrugging as she lifted her legs so that he could sit down, Kakashi said, "We both know my timing is less than exemplary."

Sakura laughed and nudged his chest with her foot. "Good point." She sighed when he pulled off her boot and began rubbing her foot gently.

After a moment of contented silence where they simply enjoyed each other's presence, Kakashi cleared his throat and ventured, "So … can we discuss it now?"

She opened her eyes slowly, her gaze fixed on where his fingers were pressing up the length of her arch. Letting out a long breath, her lips twisted thoughtfully as she murmured, "Tomorrow. Right now, there's something else I'd rather do."

Kakashi arched a questioning brow and released her foot when she sat up. His breath caught as she brushed her lips across his slowly. He responded automatically to her touch, his heart speeding up as heat began to curl low in his stomach. Her tongue brushed across his lower lip, followed by a quick nip of her teeth.

She drew back, their foreheads pressing together as her hands stroked down his chest. "Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered.

"It is now," he replied before sealing his lips to hers in another, much deeper kiss. Compromise and acceptance … those were the two keys to making any relationship work.


End file.
